I fall against him, unbothered by the mess, our lips meeting once more in a slow, tender kiss.
“So good,” I whisper, unwilling to leave his body so soon. I keep myself tucked inside, feeling his warmth, cradling my obsession. “So fucking good.”
22
WYLDER
We drift off quickly, the two of us exhausted from the day. But shortly after, I’m woken from the dead of sleep by Neo scrambling out of my arms, cursing rapidly. “Fuck, fuck,fuck.”
The fog of sleep leaves me instantly. I’m on my feet, dagger in my hand in a second. “What’s wrong?”
“Someone’s triggered one of the traps we set.” Neo is by the desk, the light from his laptop illuminating the concentration on his face. “The notifications are linked to my smartwatch. It just went off.”
“What traps?” I come up behind him, studying the screen. He’s pulling up the camera feeds, searching each of them for an intruder. “When did you set them?”
“Ansel and I have been sneaking out and setting them while you’ve all been busy with other things,” he confesses. “Don’t worry, we took Harley with us.”
Apparently, I’m going to be having a chat with Harley in the near future.
“Why didn’t you just tell us that’s what you were doing?”
Before Neo can answer, my bedroom door slams open. I move in front of Neo, my dagger rising, but it’s just Ansel.
He looks as wild-eyed as Neo, also clutching a laptop. “They’re on the grounds.”
Neo curses again. “Show me.”
Cade enters behind Ansel, holding both his dagger and pistol. “Did you know about this?”
“I did not,” I say.
“We didn’t tell you because you’re both overprotective assholes,” Ansel mutters, tapping at Neo’s screen. “Here. That one.”
I frown. “I’m not.”
Neo snorts. “Please. Want to tell me how many guards are currently outside our room?”
The answer is three, but I didn’t know Neo was aware I’d insisted on extra precautions inside the house. I should’ve known. Neo’s always several steps ahead of me. It’s an odd sensation, but one I’m weirdly not upset about. “But why did you set the traps in the first place? Why not tell us about it? We wouldn’t have stopped you.”
“No, but you would’ve insisted on coming with us or sending several guards.” Neo sighs, turning to face me. Encircling his arms around my waist, he smiles up at me softly. “This worked because it was just the three of us. Any more and they might’ve spotted us. We know they’re watching. We had to set the traps without arousing suspicion. This was the best way.”
Cade grunts. “I’m still going to beat on Harley later. Little shit should know better than to keep this from us.”
Ansel frowns but doesn’t look up from where he’s frantically scanning the feeds. “Do not hurt Harley. He’s our boo.”
My brows rise. “Your boo?”
“Not like that,” Neo says, brushing his lips over my cheek before returning to his own laptop. “We’re friends. We’ve got his back, and he’s got ours.”
A muscle is jumping in my jaw now. Glancing over at Cade, I know he’s facing the same dilemma. On the one hand, the fact that the two of them found a way to add an additional layer of protection around us is oddly sweet. They were smart enough to take a Buckingham with them, even if it wasn’t one of us. I even approve ofthe fact that they’ve bonded with Harley enough to form a friendship.
On the other hand, I’m going to kill Harley for keeping this from me.
The door opens, and my other siblings file into the room. Cade and I immediately turn our glares on Harley, who waves sheepishly. “My bad?”
Before either of us can say anything, Neo is crying out triumphantly. “Got them! Three out by the orangery.”
Cade palms his dagger, smiling maniacally. “Let’s go hunting, boys.”
